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www.acnmalta.org
No 1 • January 2018 Published eight times per year
“May we dedicate ourselves prayerfully and actively to banishing violence from our hearts, words and deeds. Nothing is impossible if we turn to God in prayer. Everyone can be an artisan of peace.” Pope Francis, message to the World Day of Peace, 1 January 2017
Artisans of peace – seminarians in Nigeria.
as the world gives” (John 14:27), nor as a temporary military truce, nor as a ‘balance of terror’, a fleeting pleasure or a moment of supposed quiet, but an all-embracing, total and unequivocal peace. Jesus has paid the price of our peace by overcoming the enmity in his crucified body and has thereby himself become “our peace” (Ephesians 2:14). As Jesus told Saint Faustyna, “Mankind will not find peace until it turns in confidence to My Mercy.”
After the last two major jubilee years – the Year of Mercy in 2016 and the centenary of the Fatima apparitions in 2017 – the present year 2018 is an “ordinary” year, so to speak. But there is in fact a theme, not to say an obligation, that applies to this year, and indeed to every year, and that is the mission of peace. In fact, peace is quite simply the ultimate goal of every jubilee, commemoration and initiative. And that is why the Church always commemorates the first day of the year as a World Day of Peace. The Jewish word “Shalom” signifies the fullness of time, the dawn of the new messianic age. But if the Messiah has already come, why is there still no peace on earth? The reality of peace does not lie in overcoming all difficulties nor in fulfilling every Yet Jesus does indeed leave us his peace, as wish. This may make people “satisfied” but his last gift to us before his Passion, and he it will not bring them peace. True peace is grants it to us again as his first gift of Easter something we receive when, trusting in the – a peace “that passes all understanding” word of the Lord, we seek and promote rec(Philippians 4:7). The peace of Christ is not onciliation with God, with our fellow men something that can be measured, rather it is and with ourselves. Only in this way can an object of faith. God alone possesses true peace also reign in the world. And so peace, and he offers this peace as a gift to we should celebrate each day as a every person on earth. God’s peace is “not ‘Jubilee’ by making peace with everyone
around us and forgiving all those who hurt us. Saint Seraphim of Sarov, the great Russian spiritual director, assures us, “Seek peace, and thousands around you will find salvation.” This kind of peace is not that state of inner quietude promised by many Eastern religions. In the words of the Swiss scientist and philosopher Max Thürkauf, “The Buddhist keeps his inner tranquillity for himself, whereas the Christian gives his to his neighbour – a tranquillity that is true peace. Peace is peace when it is shared, given to others. A Christian cannot be inwardly at rest when his neighbour is living in fear.”
True peace comes when we trust in the Lord and strive for reconciliation.
Dear Friends, may the year 2018 be for us in this sense a “restless” year, in which we daily strive to find and pass on the peace of Christ – so that the world may believe that Jesus is indeed the Messiah, the Prince of Peace.
My grateful blessing on you all
Father Martin Maria Barta Ecclesiastical Assistant 1
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Walking in the Way of the Lord: seminarians approaching ordination in Tanzania.
Riches of grace Nowhere is the Church growing faster than in Africa. Nowhere is there such a great wealth of vocations, of Catholic schools and of seminarians as on this continent. And yet nowhere is the Church materially poorer. The bishops and seminary rectors are delighted at the growing number of candidates for the Church across Africa. They always check carefully to ensure that these are genuine vocations and not merely driven by the desire for security and safety. But then in practice, security is by no means certain anywhere, and in some dioceses life in the seminary can be quite dangerous. In Burkina Faso – the “Land of the Upright” – in the diocese of Dori, on the frontier with Mali, it takes courage and perseverance to consecrate
your life to Christ. The people here are among the poorest in Africa, and gangs of Islamist terrorists sometimes cross the border. But Damien, Ambrose, Daniel and the 42 other seminarians here are still determined to serve the Lord. They continue to study and in the holidays they live and work in the local parishes to deepen their understanding of life here in the Sahel zone. This will help them later when as priests they play a crucial role, leading the people to Christ. ACN is supporting their studies with a total of €18,000. In the Central African Republic the Cardinal Archbishop of Bangui is rightly proud of his seminarians. Last year they all passed their end-of-year exams, three of them with distinction. And this despite the chaos that war has brought to the country. These young men long to lead their people to reconciliation and the peace of Christ. We are helping
Ora et labora – “Pray and Work” – in the “Land of the Upright”: a seminarian working in the garden, Burkina Faso.
the Cardinal with €25,000 for his 53 seminarians. In Tanzania there are another 46 seminarians and in Nigeria, Sudan, Kenya, Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo several hundreds more. Thanks to your generosity, they are able to devote their lives to God in the seminary. In this way, you too are sharing in the grace of this wealth of vocations.
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Witnessing to the Lord Pakistan is a dangerous place for Christians to live. Blasphemy laws and Islamist extremists between them make life difficult. Nevertheless, many young men still want to become priests. In the seminary of Saint Francis Xavier in Lahore they are preparing to bear witness to the Lord, who has defeated darkness and death. So writes their rector, Father Asif John. But their situation has been made still harder by the fact that the seminary vehicle was involved in a serious crash and is now in constant need of repairs. It is 2
used to buy provisions in the city centre, 20 km away, for the 96 students and the teaching staff, and above all in support of their pastoral work. Small wonder that it struggles “Did not our hearts burn within us as on the unmade roads! In truth it is only a he explained the Scriptures to us?” matter of time before it breaks down alto- Learning to live as apostles for Christ. gether. They would prefer not to wait for that, and in any case the constant repairs are promised €12,000 for a new vehicle. That’s already costing too much money. We have a real ray of light for the seminary.
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221 voices for Christ. To proclaim the Gospel, they need good seminary formation.
Despite war and economic crisis, vocations remain high. Ordination ceremony in the seminary of Ivano-Frankivsk.
Hearts that beat for Christ In the east of the country a ongoing conflict, in the west rampant corruption, and everywhere galloping inflation. Yet in the midst of the darkness the seminarians sing God’s praises, in the midst of the chaos they revere his divine wisdom and continue to study for peace and reconciliation. In the two Ukrainian Greek-Catholic seminaries of Ivano-Frankivsk and TernopilZboriv in west Ukraine their faith ensures that they still look with confidence to the future. Their sense of a great community strengthens their certainty that God is with them. There are 221 seminarians in IvanoFrankivsk and 153 in Ternopil-Zboriv. They come from a number of different dioceses. The Church recovered the seminary buildings, which had been confiscated and left in ruins by the Soviets, thoroughly repaired and refurbished them and filled them once again with young men whose hearts beat truly for Christ and for the Church. But the bursar is not the only one to realise that the prices of electricity, water, gas and basic food supplies are rising relentlessly today. For years the seminaries have been trying to cope with this crisis by growing their own food, keeping bees and raising livestock. But it’s just not enough. Quite often the seminary also helps the poor in the region. State support? No chance. The average basic living cost for each seminarian in west Ukraine works out at around €3,500 per year. This year we have promised them €600 each. This is also an investment in the ar
future of the Ukrainian Catholic communities abroad; a number of the young priests who emerge from these seminaries will later go to Kazakhstan, Italy and other parts of
the world where they will proclaim peace to all people of goodwill. Will you help these seminarians to continue singing the Lord’s praises?
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Precious lives, precious vocations According to the World Health Organisation, Papua New Guinea has the highest road accident rate in the Pacific region. This is partly because of the roads which in most cases are very poor. Many people travel in dangerously overcrowded and unsafe conditions in the back of lorries and pickup trucks. For these small trucks are cheaper to buy than a minibus. The Good Shepherd Seminary in Banz also has a truck. At present the seminary has 35 students and 15 will join them this year. There are too many to fit in the back of the truck and in any case the pickup is on its last legs. You cannot make savings and put people’s lives at risk in the process; they need our help for a minibus for the seminarians and the teaching staff. The new vehicle would be especially useful for taking groups of seminarians to do pastoral work in the more distant parishes. Vehicles are
projects, and enable the pastoral work of Aid to the Church in Need.
expensive in Papua New Guinea. We have promised them €23,700. For life is precious, and priestly vocations are too.
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The dangers of travelling in Papua New Guinea. 3
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Rome n i t e rs me Recto
Pastors for future pastors
United in prayer: “Where two or three are gathered in my name...” (Matthew 18:20)
In his homily for All Saints Day, Pope Gregory the Great, a Saint and Doctor of the Church, lists some of the features of the great Communion of the Saints: joy, serenity, consolation, brotherliness. They are the fruit of steadfastness, strength of soul and diligence. tunity to meet as friends of God and experience this tangible communion of those who are “called to be saints”, as Saint Paul says in his Letter to the Romans (1:7). Last year there were 89 of them from 24 different countries. Most come from the poorest countries, such as Ecuador, Vietnam and the Central African Republic, where the Church has neither the resources nor the facilities for such encounters. The largest contingent last year, almost half the number, was from Madagascar. Almost none of them could © Legionaries of Christ
Such words also describe the atmosphere encountered by the rectors and seminary directors who have converged on Rome from different countries and continents, to spend four weeks together at the international pontifical college of “Maria Mater Ecclesiae”. Most are from Africa and Latin America. Naturally there is a programme of events, with lectures, concelebrated Masses, prayer, Rosary, working groups on marriage and the family apostolate and other pastoral themes. But the most important aspect is the oppor-
Brotherly joy in Christ: chosen and “called to be saints” from 24 different countries. 4
afford the flight and accommodation in Rome. So we are again supporting this year’s encounter with €153,000. For the rectors and formators of the seminaries, the annual meetings in Rome with their brothers from all over the world are an experience that strengthens the soul and brings new courage for the future, despite the often hostile circumstances they face in their own countries. Father Etienne Randriamanantsoa from Madagascar wants to “share these experiences and talks with my brother priests in the diocese”, while Father Ludwig Takuali Utuku from Central Africa feels spiritually renewed and enriched. He was particularly impressed by some of the more profound aspects of the formation, in particular the talks on human maturity and psychology, and he is looking forward to passing on this understanding to his students. Father Isidor Makutu from Tanzania is also enthusiastic about the holistic approach to the formation of his future priests. He is convinced that “the seed being sown here will bear fruit throughout the world”. As for Father Sean Byrnes from the diocese of Wagga in Australia, he sees his vocation in a new light today: “It is a calling of God to be pastors for future pastors”, he says. All these men return home to their own countries with a new energy. They sense what Saint Paul writes in his Letter to Timothy: “The goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith” (1 Tim 1:5).
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Christ comes begging with us
Quietly, a young religious Sister enters the noisy bar. She belongs to the congregation of the Little Sisters of the Poor and she is begging for alms. She stretches her hand out to a man, who is notorious for his hatred of the Church, and he spits in her face, laughing derisively. Quietly, she wipes her face and says, “That was for me. Now will you give me something for the poor?” The mocking smile dies on the man’s face and his eyes open in wonderment. He asks her pardon and gives – more than she had dared to hope.
© Raul Castillo
Bishop Raul Castillo of La Guaira, Venezuela, is happy to tell people this true story. It takes a lot of courage, he says, to put your dignity in your open hands and beg. But, as he also knows, “Christ comes begging with us.” For here it is about “God’s first love, the poor”, as Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI puts it in his book on Jesus of Nazareth. For Bishop Raul, that also includes his priests, religious Sisters and seminarians. And it is they who are combatting the
Bishop Raul Castillo of La Guaira: and future vocations?
Arming themselves against spiritual poverty: seminarians studying. ar
Tilling and planting to stave off hunger: seminarians working in the field.
immense spiritual poverty of today, for as Pope Francis says in his encyclical Evangelii Gaudium: “The worst discrimination which the poor suffer is the lack of spiritual care.” The 19 young men in Saint Peter’s Seminary in La Guaira are well aware of this. They see the poverty in the country, the lack of basic necessities and the widespread violence. They themselves suffer from the same shortages and Bishop Raul has asked for help to provide them with the barest necessities – soap, eggs, milk, flour, paper… As for money, they have none, and in any case it would be of little worth, for inflation here is the highest in the world today. Money from abroad would help them to address the material needs and at the same time prepare for the growing spiritual need. Many of the seminarians have themselves known past sorrow and suffering. When Luis Carlos felt the call of God, he was already engaged. The parting was not easy. Fellow seminarian Caesar
Singing for the Lord: choir practice at the seminary.
projects, and enable the pastoral work of Aid to the Church in Need.
Rafael suffered cancer of the lymph nodes at the age of 10. He underwent chemotherapy, but then when he was 14 the cancer returned. This time the chemotherapy was followed by radiotherapy. Since then, he seems to have been in good health. He gave up his studies in machine engineering after two years and entered the seminary. Another student for the priesthood, Esteban Marcanos lost his mother when he was just one year old. He was brought up by his father in his grandparents’ house. Then his father died when he was just 16. Yet he never ceased to believe in God’s love, and today he is training for the priesthood. No one knows what will happen to this country in the future. But one thing is certain: without the Church the spiritual poverty will continue to increase. Luis, Caesar and Esteban want to combat this with the sacraments, the signs of God’s love. And this too is what the 20 young men in the seminary of the Mother of the Redeemer in Carupano are preparing for. They also have no fear of the future, although they too lack even the barest necessities. We have promised €12,000 for Carupano and €15,000 for La Guaira. It will help them towards their goal, expressed in the words of Pope Francis: “Our preferential option for the poor must mainly translate into a privileged and preferential religious care.” (Evangelii Gaudium, 200).
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There is a happy atmosphere in the seminary of Hrodna in Belarus. The rector, Father Roman Raczko thanks us “on behalf of our seminary family” for the help we gave them last year. Thanks to this support, the 33 seminarians were able to benefit from a solid academic and spiritual formation. They were also able to spend more time visiting orphanages, homes for handicapped children and for the elderly and in this way learn how to care for “these children of God”. All this forms part of their training in Hrodna, the overall goal of which is “to better prepare our students for the priesthood”. And it also leads to many of its new priests working in the missions, in Brazil and Cameroon, for example, “to work among the poor children there”. Father Roman assures us, “We think daily of our benefactors, and not only in Holy Mass. You are also with us in our thoughts when our students and professors travel on pilgrimage to nearby Marian shrines.”
Need, love and thanks − your letters God’s approval and blessing I first came to know about ACN five years ago, and I can tell you that I am very enthusiastic about your work. Since then, I have endeavoured with all my heart to get to know more about your charity and to tell others about it. But above all I want to stay loyal to ACN by financially supporting it, for it is a charity that really has God’s approval and blessing. A benefactress in Brazil Hope for the Church Your magazine gives us so much hope for a bright future for the Church despite all the attacks against her. May God bless each of you with the Gifts of the Holy Spirit to continue this great Work for God. A benefactress in Australia
Opening hearts After I had read out something from Mirror 8 to my children, they spontaneously decided to give up some of their savings, so as to provide babies in Syria with nappies and milk. Thank you for these practical suggestions for helping, which have opened my children’s hearts. A mother in France An answer to my prayer Tonight when I read of the ACN for the first time on the Internet, I felt my heart skip a beat and tears of joy came to my eyes…This I realised was the answer to my prayer. Thank you for caring for our unfortunate brothers and sisters around the world. A benefactor in the U.S.
Johannes Freiherr Heereman, Executive President, ACN (International)
Dear Friends,
If anyone is still looking for good resolutions for the New Year, then I recommend you read Saint Paul. In his Letter to the Romans he gives a host of recommendations that are both practical and personal. For example, if you have the gift of prophecy, then speak, in accordance with the Faith; if you are suited to the work of service, then serve others. And if called to comfort others, then give comfort (Romans 12:6ff). In other words, we should all fully use our true potential, and thereby become better people. This and nothing else is what our resolutions are about. But Saint Paul touches not only on the importance of personal qualities but social ones too. “Outdo one another in showing honour... Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly.” (Romans 12:10, 13-16). These are not merely good resolutions, but a whole programme of life for everyone who wishes to prepare the way for the peace of Christ on earth, and in so doing experiences the peace of Christ in his heart. With these thoughts in mind I wish you all a peaceful and blessed 2018.
Editors: Jürgen Liminski & Stephen Axisa Please use the envelope. Aid to the Church in Need, 39B Mdina Road, Publisher: Aid to the Church in Need, 39B Mdina Road, Attard ATD 9038 Attard ATD 9038; Tel: 21487818; Fax: 21586257 APS Bank, IBAN: MT72 APSB 7705 7008 5772 2000 1771 733 Printed in Malta BIC: APSBMTMT De licentia competentis auctoritatis Email: info@acnmalta.org – facebook//Aid to the Church in Need Malta ecclesiasticae Pass this leaflet on to your neighbours, friends or leave it at the Parish www.acnmalta.org Church for others to review.
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